The Mermaid Mask

The Mermaid Mask is the best Detective Grimoire adventure yet. Its art, music, voice cast, and puzzle design are all worthy of praise, but they're held together by a great story and a fun script, complete with all the quips and twists I've come to expect from SFB's mystery series.

The Mermaid Mask finds a brilliantly entertaining niche between deduction game and point-and-click. The tangled mystery of the death of Captain Mortuga is full of compelling twists and every suspect adds a surprise along the way. Some tacked-on logic puzzles slightly break the dramatic flow, but not enough to undo the magic of a well-constructed puzzle box of a game.

The Mermaid Mask is a mystery full of quirk and intrigue that pulls the player in and keeps them going with a riveting story of wayward souls and their mysterious benefactor.

The Mermaid Mask turned out to be not only the most successful game about detective Grimoire, but also one of the best detective adventures in recent years.

The Mermaid Mask is a clever, charming, and incredibly polished mystery that had me hooked the entire way through. Whether it’s the intriguing storytelling, the rewarding sleuthing, the vibrant visuals, or the excellent sound design, it hits an incredibly high standard throughout, all whilst delivering enough of a challenge to ensure each part of the case that you crack is rewarding… it’s just really, REALLY good, and arguably, one of the best detective games you’ll play this year.

The Mermaid Mask is an excellent cozy mystery adventure that draws the player into a compelling narrative without ever pushing them too hard. In addition to excellent writing—both in the progression of events (an essential element of a good mystery) and in character development—the game also stands out thanks to its distinctive visual style and top-notch art design. A few lulls in the middle don’t detract from the overall experience, which still manages to hold your attention right up to the game’s excellent conclusion—an aspect that had left more than a few players feeling underwhelmed in Tangle Tower. This experience is recommended for anyone looking for a lighthearted mystery, but also for those who want to discover one of the most successful and enjoyable indie games of the year.

There are a few times in The Mermaid Mask where characters, such as a tormented author, will make comments about how hard it is to make a sequel or that "this is a lot of work; I don't know if I'll do it again." And I can't disagree; it seems incredibly difficult. I've been editing my own novel for a few years now and it is... quite painful. But what keeps me going is the idea that some day, my mom might get to read my book and really love it, and maybe other people will, too. So, I say to SFB Games and brothers Vian, if you have finished your journey with these games, I would understand, but I'd be sad — The Mermaid Mask is an excellent game, and I can only imagine how brilliant the next one would be.

For a lot of The Mermaid Mask's runtime, I often reflected on how flawlessly it delivers on its intent. The art, animation, voice acting, and music are excellent in the ways that support the narrative, and the narrative itself is top shelf. You may not be given very much agency when it comes to solving the mystery, but it doesn’t feel that way, and the time spent with the quirky, whimsical, but believable characters is a delight. This is one that you’ll want to investigate.

This follow-up adventure to the excellent Tangle Tower once again delivers on a promise of smart writing, fun characters, and approachable mystery solving

The Mermaid Mask is to me difficult to say if it’s great or amazing. The reason I hesitate is because of the fact, that I don’t want to discourage SFB Games from making another entry into this series. Sure the last game was back in 2019 being Tangle Tower and I cannot blame them. Making something as great as the Tangle Tower is difficult. However, they should know that they lived up to that game with The Mermaid Mask. It goes to show that since Newgrounds when they made the first Grimoire game. Then made the next entry on PC which surpassed the Newgrounds version. Following after with Tangle Tower and now Mermaid Mask are all showing that you guys haven’t lost your touch. Here’s to hoping for another entry in about 6 or 7 years from now. I give The Mermaid Mask the Thumb Culture Platinum Award